San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-05-14

which before EN- ring Nal been 80 duOl-
GUS, was now altogether that Of care
less and candid man.
Late 10 be traipsing athwart this
coomb-hey?" said the engaged man of
so.
Late it is, master, as you say. I'll
take seat In the chimney -corner, IL
you have nothing TO urge against it,
ma'am; for I'm little moist on the side
that was next the rain.n
Mrs. Shepherd Fennel assented, and
made room for the self-invited conner,
who, having got completely inside the
chimney-corner, stretched out his legs
and his arms with the eXpansiyeness of
person quite at home.
Yes, am rather thin in the vamp,"
he said freely, seeing that the eyes OF
the shepherds wife fell upon his boots,
land / am not well-iitted, either. /
have had some rough times lately, and
have been forced to pick up what can
get in the way Of wearing, but / must
find suit better fit for working days
when reach home"
Zone of hereaboutsp" she inquired.
"Not quite that-further up the
country"
~ thought so. And so am /; and by
your tongue you come from our neigh
bOrhO0d."
but you would hardly have heard Of
me-" he said quickly. MY time would
be long before yours, ma'am, you see."
This testimony to the youthfulness
of his hostess had the effect of stopping
her crOss-eXaminatiOn.
There is only one thing more want
ed to make me happy" continued the
new conner. And that is little baccy,
w / m N / N
I'm fill your pipe" said the shep
herd.
81 must ask you to lend me pipe
likewise"
"A smoker, and no pipe about YEP"
9! have dropped it somewhere on the
road"
The shepherd filled and handed him
new clay pipe. saying, as he did so:
Hand me your baccy-boX-lll fill that
too, now Pm about it.
The man went through the movement
of searching his pockets.
Lost that tooT' said his entertainer,
with some surprise.
81 am afraid so, said the man with
some confusion. "Give it to me in a
screw of paper" Lighting his pipe at
the candle with suction that drew the
whole flame into the bowl, he resettled
himself in the corner, and bent his looks
upon the faint steam from his damp
legs. as if he wished to say no more.
Meanwhile the general body of guests
had been taking little notice of this
visitor by reason Of an absorbing dis
with the band about tune for the next
dance. The matter being settled, they
were about to stand up, when an inter
ruption came in the shape Of another
knock at the door.
At sound of the same the man in the
chimney-corner took up the poker and
began stirring the fire as if doing it
thoroughly was the one aim of his ex-
istence; and the second time the shep-
herd said walk in" In moment an
other man stood upon the Straw-wOven
doOr-mat. He, too, was stranger.
This individual was one of type
radically different from the first. There
was more of the commonplace in his
manner, and certain jOvial cosmOpOli-
tanism sat upon his features. He was
several years older than the first arrival,
his hair being slightly frosted, his eye
brows bristly, and his whiskers cut
back from his cheeks. His face was
rather full and flabby, and yet it was
not altogether face without power. A
few grog-blOssOms marked the neigh
borhoOd of his nose. He flung back his
long drab great coat, revealing that be-
meath it he wore a suit of cindeT-gray
shade throughout, large, heavy seals, of
some metal or other that would take a
polish, dangling from his fob as his
only personal ornament. Shaking the
water-drops from his low-crowned,
glazed hat, he said: 81 must ask for a
few minutes shelter, comrades, or l
shall be wetted to my skin before l get
to Casterbridge."
MAKE yerself at home, MASTER" said
the shepherd, perhaps trifle less hearth
ly than on the first occasion. Not that
Fennel had the least tinge of niggardli-
ness in his composition, but the room
was far from large, spare chairs were
not numerous, and damp companions
were not altogether comfortable at close
quarters for the women and girls in
their bright-cOlOred gowns.
However, the second conner, after
taking off his great-coat, and hanging
his hat on a nail in one of the ceiling
beams, as if he had been specially invited
to put it there, advanced and sat down at
the table. This had been pushed so
closely into the chimney-corner, to give
all available room to the dancers, that
its inner edge grazed the elbow of the
man who had ensconced himself by the
fire; and thus the two strangers were
brought into close companionship. They
nodded to each other by way of break
ing tire ice of acquaintance, and the
first stranger handed his neighbor the
large mug-ahuge vessel of brown ware,
having its upper edge worn away like a
threshold by the rub of whole genealO-
gies of thirsty lips that had gone the
way of all flesh, and bearing the follow
ing inscription burnt upon its rotUnd
side in yellow letters:
There is 40 fun
Until cum.
The other man, nothing loath, raised
the mug to his lips and drank on, and
on, till curious blueness spread over
the cOuntenance of the shepherds wife,
who had regarded with no little sur
prise the first strangers free offer to
the second Of what did not belong to
him to dispense.
II knew it'll" said the topper to the
shepherd with much satisfaction.
when | walked up your garden afOre
coming in, and saw the hives all of
row, said to myself. Where there's
bees there's honey, and where there's
honey there's mead But mead of such
truly comfortably sort as this really
didn't expect to meet in my older days"
He took yet another pull at the mug,
till it assumed an ominous hOriZontali-
"Glad you enjoy i'll" said the shep-